Day 67: Dinner

[damned_intercom]

"Goodness, is it really already time for dinner? Time certainly does fly! And such a lovely day, too. I certainly wouldn't mind having a nice cup of cocoa out on the patio or something..."

That was how the Head Doctor greeted them, although it apparently didn't take him long to realize he'd gotten a little off topic.

"Now then, it's time for the nurses to escort you all back to your rooms, where you'll have the opportunity to tuck into a scrumptious plate of turkey and gravy. And, of course, we always carry vegetarian options for those who don't eat meat. We also have our usual assortment of water, juice and milk.

"Also, some of you will be receiving some extra help in warding off whatever bug some of us have been catching. Please take care, everyone, and be sure to wash your hands! I'll talk to you all again later. Enjoy your dinner."

The intercom clicked off, leaving patients with the prospect of preparing for yet another grueling Nightshift.

((Respond to this post with your character's room number in the subject line. New room assignments are listed here. If you have any questions, let us know!))

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[impudentsongbird]

Gabriel had unintentionally gone overtime. Or maybe Rachel had let him; he wasn't sure. Either way, he was one of the last ones out of the music room, and then only because Rachel came up and interrupted him in the middle of an idle, contemplative melody. It was almost a shock to be broken out of his reverie. For a few moments, or minutes, Gabriel had actually managed to forget where he was. On one hand, that was nice. On the other, it was unnerving. Forgetting his surroundings like that ... it wasn't something angels usually did.

"What does he mean?" the Archangel asked of Landel as Rachel led him back to his room. "Some extra help?" That didn't sound good. Gabriel didn't want anything from Landel. Nothing at all.

Rachel patted him on the arm. "It's just a little inoculation, dear. Nothing to worry about."

Yes. Definitely something Gabriel didn't want anything to do with. How many times had he witnessed Lucifer's lackeys tampering with medicine? How many times had he seen Raphael raging over what he called those underhanded methods? (To which Michael, of course, had always asked him which Lucifer he was thinking of: the one who attacked Heaven or some imaginary friend?)

"I'd rather not, please," Gabe said a bit anxiously. "I--I don't like needles."

Rachel gave him a gentle smile, the sort given to a frightened child, and patted his arm. "It's just a little pinch, Noah. It hardly hurts at all. I promise."

She left her hand on his elbow, Gabe noticed, and they were approaching his room, and so he pulled back. His stomach was turning over. "I haven't been sick. I'm okay, really. If I was going to get sick, wouldn't I have done that already?"

"We're not sure of the incubation period, dear," Rachel said gently but firmly, but Gabriel couldn't very well fight her without actually hurting her--and that was something he didn't want to do. She was probably innocent. He couldn't knowingly and willingly hurt an innocent woman. Which meant that when she opened the door and propelled him forward with a not-exactly-surprisingly strong grip, he didn't have much choice but to follow, still clutching his banjo.

"Wait a minute--" he started, trying to pull away, but the action only jostled the needle as it entered his skin and the Archangel hissed.

"Don't wriggle," Rachel scolded him, pressing the plunger and then withdrawing the needle again. Gabriel bit his lip while she did, blinking rapidly, and said nothing when she patted his arm. "There. Enjoy your dinner, Noah."

Then she left and Gabriel stared down at his elbow, his stomach turning over. What was going to happen to him now? An actual illness? Hallucinations? Turning into a monster himself? Nothing at all?

All of a sudden he really didn't feel very hungry.

[dividedby]

By the time his roommate arrived, Zero had retreated to the side of his bed momentarily, overwhelmed with concerned thoughts, angered protests, and anxious predictions. No 'medicine' here could be anything remotely helpful. It had to be something favorable for Landel. Were they going to brainwash him again? Was it sedation round two? Or was this the way Landel was spreading his disease? Perhaps because some had been cured, he was attempting to bring it back... Who knew? The effects of the injection were obviously not immediate, which made it all the more worrying.

What didn't help matters was what he'd found on his pillow when he had wandered over to the bed: a white stuffed animal cat with green Cyber-Elf wings on its back. The stuffed animal Alouette always carried around. Another reminder? Another thing to worry about? Another joke from Landel? Sick... Zero couldn't even look at it right now. The injection was bad enough, and Ciel's jacket had been enough salt to a wound. He didn't need a hint that a child he cared about might be in danger here, too.

It was all just...

Zero was so lost in thought about the whole thing that he ended up repeating the same mistake from just a few minutes ago. It wasn't until he heard a hissing sound that even noticed someone else had entered the room; then he looked up and saw Gabe at the door, his nurse taking a needle from his arm and leaving him the same way his own nurse had. What? Him, too? Tch... If Zero had noticed any earlier, he would have done something to stop it. Instead, he'd only been focused on himself. He let himself have a moment of internal self-chiding even though he was fully aware now that fighting the nurses would only lead to worse things. The injection would have happened anyway; it just would have made a bad situation worse by adding more consequences.

But he couldn't help but feel even more angry than before anyway. Even if Zero didn't particularly like Gabe, it wasn't like the man was a psychopathic killer. He didn't deserve that 'extra help' any more than himself or Leanne or most prisoners here did.

Still, Zero remained where he sat, keeping his eyes on his roommate. (Thanks to all of this stress? No longer had an appetite for dinner. No reason to move to his desk at any point.) "What do you think's gonna happen?" he asked suddenly. Concern and frustration were more obvious in face than voice, the latter more than the former - though that didn't mean much, considering how subtle his outward emotions tended to be at times anyway.

[impudentsongbird]

Zero's voice was both welcome and oddly not. Gabe looked up, holding his arm and clutching his banjo to his chest both. The posture made him look vulnerable. Young. The worry in his eyes only added to that. The keen awareness in them did the opposite--the awareness of someone who was taking this quite seriously.

"I don't know," he admitted, and despite his composure his tone was even enough. Worried and a bit uncertain, but not terrified. Just ... dreading. "Maybe it's something to make us turn too, but I don't think so. Landel seems like the kind of man who wants to surprise us. It'll probably be something different."

He bit his lip and glanced toward the door, wondering if the staff had had injections as well, and then turned to move to his bed to sit. "Have they done this before? I imagine they have. It's a good cover."

The Archangel almost sounded clinical. Almost.